Tips for Writing the Perfect Speaking Proposal!

Speaking proposals for Learning Solutions 2023 are now open! Submit your proposal before the deadline (August 12) for the chance to share your knowledge and demonstrate your expertise next April.

Whether you’re brand new to speaking or a returning veteran, we’d like to share a few tips and resources to help you get started drafting and perfecting your proposal!

Tip #1: Creating a Proposal Draft

We recommend drafting your proposal outside of the official proposal form. Consider using a Word Doc or Google Doc so you can easily revise, rework, and share with peers for feedback.

Tip #2: Be Specific

When you're writing your speaking proposal, remember to include information on the specific techniques, strategies, or approaches that you plan on sharing. Make it clear what issue your session solves for people.

Tip #3: Be Unique

Make your unique angle on the topic clear. A commonly asked question is: “What if the topic I’m proposing has already been covered?” Chances are the topic probably already has been done before. For example, dozens of people have had sessions on shooting video with a smartphone, but is there something unique about that topic that you can share? Plus, what may seem normal to you may be innovative to someone else. Chances are you have something unique worth telling others about.

Tip #3: Write Directly to the Audience

Don’t position your proposal toward the Program team at The Learning Guild! Write with your audience in mind. Attendees are most interested in practical approaches that they can use right away in their work, so be sure to draft your proposal with peer-to-peer positioning in mind.

Tip #4: Confidence!

Still not sure you're ready to speak or unsure you have something worth sharing?

Don't forget—all speakers had to start somewhere, and there’s no better place to start than at a Learning Guild event. Our community supports newcomers and our Program team is always looking for new voices. Each event program is crafted with the intent of including at least 20% new speakers.

Resources

Get to Know the Event

Stop by the submission instructions page to learn more about Learning Solutions, what types of sessions fit the program, the target audience, and more.

Proposal Examples and Non-Examples

Not sure what makes a good proposal? Start by looking at this PDF with tips.

Also, try browsing through the session descriptions from Learning Solutions 2022 for writing inspiration/ideas.

Want Feedback on Your Idea Before Submitting It?

If you want some feedback on your proposal idea or draft before you even submit it, members of our Program team are always happy to help out. Email Programs@LearningGuild and they can schedule some time to chat with you.

Related: The earlier you ask for feedback, the easier it is for them to fit you in and the more time you'll have to make edits based on that conversation.

Ask the Community!

Finally, there are a lot of experienced conference speakers here on social media who are very open to sharing with the community. Chat with some of them for even more proposal crafting ideas.

You can also check out the transcript of this Twitter GuildChat that was all about conference writing tips from the community.

You can download a Word file of the proposal questions here .

(P.S. If you're an experienced speaker, leave a comment on this article sharing a quick tip or inspiration for a newcomer!)